Surf City Condos' Status Is Illegal
"Dozens of Huntington Beach apartments have been illegally converted to condominiums in recent years, according to city officials, who say sellers could face criminal charges and unwitting buyers will have to pay more than $7,000 each in back fees...The owners of the suspect properties, who probably were unaware that they bought former apartments without the required city permits and approvals for the conversion, will be notified by mail in May, McGrath said. City officials will hold a community meeting several weeks later to answer questions and tell condo owners how to make their homes legal. To help the homeowners, she said, the city is taking steps including possible changes to the zoning code that would permit "most, if not all" of the properties to meet the code. "The way it's written right now, they can't," she said.The owners, however, will have to pay more than $7,000 in city permit fees in a lump sum."
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Ouch. I like the part about how the city is going to "help the homeowners." Right.